In this article, we’ll do an in-depth review of the BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker. This is advertised as an auto-drip coffee machine that brews 12 cups of coffee. It also boasts programming functionality and a no-drip auto pause feature.
Let’s take a closer look at these features, how well BOSCARE did to implement them, what other people think and then we’ll share our humble opinion of this machine – where we think BOSCARE succeeded and where they might have fallen short.
If you are having problems either with how to descale the machine or deciphering the owner’s manual, check at the end of the review for more information.
Features of the BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker:
There are some basic features you’ll want to compare with every coffee maker you consider purchasing. Things such as how large the machine is – will it fit under your cabinets if it needs to? You’ll also want to consider the types of coffee it brews – pods, ground beans, whole beans. You should also review its programming capabilities and quantity of coffee it brews at once. Let’s take a look at the BOSCARE and see how it gets you a cup of coffee in the morning.
The Basics
Type of Coffee Maker: Automatic Drip
The shower head is on the small size. It would have been nice if this were larger in order to saturate more coffee grounds but in the end, it doesn’t seem to matter. The coffee maker still brews a medium strength cup of coffee without argument. It’s also very quiet.
It brews a single cup of coffee in about two minutes.
It’s a 900 watt, 120-volt coffee maker.
Type of Coffee Used: Ground roasted beans.
Your favorite roasted coffee grounds will work with this machine. There’s a scoop included with the machine so you can get the measurements right.
Type of Filter Used: Permanent
The coffee maker comes with a permanent mesh filter with a filter holder. You can use paper in place of the permanent filter. The 8 – 12 cup basket style paper filters will fit this coffee maker.
If you’re using a finer grind of coffee, we highly recommend using either a paper liner with your reusable filter or using paper by itself in the filter holder. There’s a decent amount of sediment that goes through the basket when brewing with fine grinds. Coarsely ground coffee would probably be okay but again, if you find sediment or oil in your carafe, use a paper filter.
Reservoir: Yes.
The reservoir is built into the base of the machine. There’s a clear line on the side, allowing you to see to fill up to the exact amount you need. These built-in reservoirs can be tough to navigate and sometimes, it’s a real challenge getting water from the carafe to the reservoir. This carafe was comfortable to handle and it was pretty easy to pour in water without spilling it everywhere.
Carafe: Glass
It’s a very sturdy piece of glass and the printing on the side for measuring is easy to read. The lid snaps on and must be used in order to allow the coffee to drip through. Note that some people have had difficulty with this and broke the plastic piece. Don’t force it. Make sure everything is lined up correctly before you snap the lid on.
Number of Cups It Can Brew at Once: 2-12 cups at 4.17 ounces each.
The carafe is measured at 1500Ml, which measures out to about 50.7 ounces of liquid. Most coffee carafes that are sold in the United States are measured as 5-ounce cups. You’re losing nearly an ounce per cup when brewing coffee in this machine. Keep in mind that this isn’t what most coffee makers would consider a true 12-cup coffee maker. It brews about 2 ounces more than your standard 10-cup coffee maker so it’s splitting the difference between the two standard sizes.
Click here to find out more about the BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker on Amazon.
Hotplate: Yes
The warmer has a non-stick surface. Clean up is easy with a damp cloth. We don’t recommend leaving the coffee on for long. This heater get quite hot and will scorch the coffee.
Auto-Pause: Yes
BOSCARE is quite proud of their auto-pause feature. They’ve gone to great lengths to get this feature right. In the end, it looks the same as other auto-shut off mechanisms but it does seem to perform better than most. Just make sure that the lid is tightly snapped closed.
You can remove the carafe during the brew cycle to pour a cup of coffee. As usual, the flavor will change according to how much coffee has already brewed. Don’t leave the carafe off the warmer for more than 30 seconds or you risk the filter over flowing with water. Make sure the bubble in the lid has released the drip-stopper.
Automatic Shut-off: Yes
There seems to be a bit of confusion about this after reading the manual but no matter. It shuts off automatically after two hours.
Single Serve: No
Brew Strength Options: 2
- The regular strength option brews a classic roast.
- The stronger option is closer in strength to a coffee house selection. If you wanted to start experimenting with coffee based recipes, this is the strength profile you should choose. We actually thought this tasted a little stronger than your average Bold setting.
Color: Black/Stainless Steel
How easy is it to clean the BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker?
The filter and glass carafe are dishwasher safe on the top rack. You should descale your machine every 3 – 6 months, depending on usage and how hard your water is. The base shouldn’t be submerged in water but can be wiped down using a soft cloth saturated with warm, soapy water and then rinsed off using a clean, damp cloth.
Note: If your carafe gets stains on the inside that don’t want to come out, take a soft, damp cloth, soak it with white vinegar and rub the inside of the carafe where the stains reside. This should take out the stains. Rinse well to remove any vinegar smell or flavor.
Programmable: Yes
The display is a backlit LED style. It’s a standard, digital, black-on-gray read out. It has a clock display and you can program the machine’s brew time up to 24 hours in advance. You can also choose the brew strength.
Programming this coffee maker is pretty straightforward. If you can still program a digital alarm clock, you can program this coffee maker.
There is no backup in case of a power failure. This would have been a nice feature to have. Even the cheapest alarm clocks have something to help themselves out during a power outage.
How Much Counter Space Does it Use?
This unit measures 7.1 inches wide x 8.3 inches deep x 12 inches high. This is a small footprint when compared to other 12-cup coffee makers. As we noted above, this measures closer to a 10-cup machine than a 12-cup machine. It’s actually quite a popular feature since people are excited to free up counter space.
Warranty: There’s a 2 Year warranty from date of purchase. Be sure and send in your forms as soon as you get them.
What the Comments Say
There are a surprising number of super fans of the BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker. Some are novices to loose ground coffee brewing and others are seasoned vets, looking for simplicity. They have differing opinions on how well the coffee maker performs but there are a few common threads.
Praises From Reviewers:
People love how easy it is to set up, program and wake up to a great cup of coffee. This is what we write about. This is what everyone expects from their coffee maker but not all of us always get. In fact, many are surprised at how poorly their coffee makers perform. The BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker doesn’t disappoint.
People love the size of this machine. No, it isn’t built to what the US is used to, but the machine fits very well under most cabinets and just plain takes up less room than a standard size coffee maker. Outside of having to adjust our brewing scoop to water ratio, most people don’t care about the 5 ounce standard anyway since most at-home coffee drinkers are just looking for a way to fill up their favorite mug in the morning. Just look at what Keurig had to offer in order to convince people to buy their coffee makers.
Drawbacks to Consider
When questioned as to whether or not the plastic was BPA free, BOSCARE danced around the issue by simply stating that the coffee maker met FDA guidelines. We can assume that the answer is no. While not a deal-breaker for us, it’s certainly worth noting.
The carafe isn’t a standard 60 ounces. It’s actually 1500ml which converts to just over 50 ounces. If you’re looking for a large coffee maker, there are probably better choices for you out there, especially if you’re looking to replace your current 12-cup coffee maker.
This is a standard, no frills, coffee maker. We think it’s a little high in the price range for a basic brewing machine. We’d like to see at least a little more in the way of upgrades if they are planning on holding it as this price.
Our Take
The BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker is a dependable machine. It does what was built to do: make a very good cup of coffee. It doesn’t really matter that the standard measurements are off. Once you adjust for that by using the scoop that’s included, it’s all good. We like the anti-drip mechanism. We also like that we don’t have to use the permanent filter since we’re fans of removing as much oil residue as possible.
We’re not too jazzed about the price but it’s surprisingly reliable, especially for an unknown brand.
The BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker is worth considering if you’re not concerned about needing a full 60 ounce coffee machine.
Click here to find out more about the BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker on Amazon.
Notes on This Coffee Maker
Deciphering the BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker User’s Manual
While we like the machine overall, the BOSCARE user’s manual does have quite a few “lost in translation” moments.
You can download it from the Amazon sales page.
Here are some quick notes:
- Coffee powder: What they’re talking about is your roasted, ground coffee beans. Period. It has nothing to do with instant or whatnot. Coffee Powder is simply your ground coffee.
- Keep the Coffee maker is energized: Leave the coffee maker on.
- During brewing process, the buttons of “PROGRAM”,“DELAY BREW” ,“HOUR” 5 and “MINUTE” are invalid: These buttons are non-operable during the brew cycle.
- Note: pay attention to pour the coffee out, otherwise you may be hurt as the temperature of coffee just finished is high: Freshly brewed coffee is very hot. To avoid injury, take care when pouring a freshly brewed pot of coffee.
- …the appliance will brew thick coffee: They’re referring to the brew strength. In this case, the coffee maker will brew a stronger flavored coffee.
How to Descale the BOSCARE Programmable Coffee Maker
Descaling the BOSCARE coffee machine is pretty easy but it will take a bit of patience to allow the water to brew through. You should descale your machine every 3 – 6 months, depending on the hardness of your water.
The easiest way to tell if your coffee maker needs descaling is by watching the time it takes to brew a cup of coffee. It’s recommended that you use a citric acid descaling solution diluted with water.
- Using 3 parts water to 1 part descaling solution, fill the reservoir accordingly.
- Place the empty carafe on the warming plate.
- Place empty filter and filter holder in coffee maker as you normally would.
- Turn on the brew cycle.
- After one cup of solution has filled the carafe, switch off the machine.
- Allow the descaling solution to sit in the coffee maker for 15 minutes.
- Turn the machine back on to complete the brewing cycle, running until the reservoir is completely empty.
- Rinse by running clean water through the coffee maker three or more times.
